306 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
classification : u All our knowledge of the so-called blood dis¬ 
eases is of the most fragmentary and unsatisfactory nature, and 
all our statements concerning them must therefore be considered 
as in the highest degree provisional and open to revision as soon 
as new light appears. The origin of the blood and the method 
of its reproduction and renewal are matters worthy of specula¬ 
tion. We are ignorant of whether there are any diseases of the 
blood itself except the parasitic diseases like malaria, and 
whether morbid blood changes are causes or results of other or¬ 
ganic lesions ; we may doubt whether the changes both in the 
blood and in the (supposed) blood-making organs are not both 
of them due to some third factor, itself unknown. Finally the 
identity and individuality of the several u blood diseases ” are 
open to considerable doubt. In a few years we may have 
“ changed all that.” Pernicious anaemia and leucaemia may be 
found to be only different types of a single disease. Chlorosis 
may be classed with the other secondary anaemias, and Hodg¬ 
kin’s disease may be grouped with the malignant tumors or in¬ 
fectious diseases. Still, we must keep to some nomenclature 
while a better is being evolved, and the foregoing division of 
morbid phenomena must serve us for the present. 
Dr. Stewart: This classification is quite an interesting 
addition to the discussion. I noted the essayist did not enter 
into the blood phase of the disease or into its etiology, but only 
took up the gross pathological lesions as he found them. The 
several diseases as mentioned in this classification just quoted is 
likely to come to the attention of the examiner of animals. Very 
few veterinarians stop to make any distinction as to the form of 
anaemia. I could readily see how one who did not make any 
study of the blood phase could mistake Hodgkin’s disease for 
leucaemia. The last speaker raised the question of the essayist 
not making any examination of the blood to make sure the cases 
were leucaemia. I wished to say that in the case the essayist 
cited as reported by myself an examination of the blood was 
made and it was found there was one white cell to 20 red ones. 
Dr. Heck : I wish to beg the gentleman’s pardon, if I mis¬ 
understood him, and I assure him nothing has been said to cast 
any reflection on his paper. He has dealt with the clinical 
aspect of the disease almost entirely, and I congratulate him 011 
having seen so many cases. I simply mentioned this classifica¬ 
tion to show how much more thoroughly the subject has been 
gone into by human practitioners, and how far behind we seem 
to be. I am not sure that we find analogous conditions in our 
